FTA
TODAY
2014 President’s
Award Recipients
Consistently Challenge The Status Quo
The selection of members to receive the annual FTA
President’s Award is the result of a collaborative pro-
cess that takes into consideration a variety of factors—
all focusing on individuals who have demonstrated a strong
support of the core values that FTA/FFTA espouses. This orga-
nization has consistently grown and prospered as the direct
result of a volunteer base representing committed individuals
who see the value of dedicating their time and talent for the
collective good of the flexographic business community.
Leaders don’t wait to be asked and they don’t take their
commitments lightly; they formulate ideas and see themselves
involved in areas that best utilize their talents. Over the years,
the FTA President’s Award has been bestowed annually on
individuals who understand this philosophy of leadership
and who commit themselves to taking on the responsibility of
being an industry driver.
Robb Frimming,
print services director
at SCHAWK!, has been
an exceptionally active
member of the flexog-
raphic community and
FTA programs in a variety
of diverse areas. Ask
anyone and they will tell
you that Robb is, “all
about data. ” Utilizing his
expertise in this arena, he
was instrumental in work-
ing with the TEST staff to
implement a custom data
collection process for the
FIRST Company Certifica-
tion Program.
Further demonstrating
his commitment to quantifying all of the variables that come
together within the flexographic workflow, Robb serves on the
FQC Executive Committee and has been a key contributor on
its Standards Working Group Subcommittee. As a longtime
member of the FIRST Committee, he played a very active role
in developing FIRST 4.0 and now serves as co chair of the
group as it works to complete the next update of the docu-
ment, due out later this year.
In support of this vital industry initiative, Robb has pre-
sented on FTA’s behalf at a number of its Forums and Fall
Conferences, in addition to spreading the word via actively
participating on various other industry trade groups’ meet-
ings programs. At this year’s Forum, he has taken on the
shared chairmanship of the Expanded Gamut Session, where
he has used his vast network of connections to assemble an
outstanding panel of industry experts from the CPC, design
and color management communities. Suffice it to say, Robb is
always there for FTA when we need him!
Paul Teachout, technical/OEM accounts manager at Harp-
er Corporation of America, has been another “go to guy,”
generously lending his time and talent to FTA on initiatives
that have supported its growth in members, quality recogni-
tion and educational development. As an FTA certified FIRST
Implementation Specialist, Paul
felt it was important to lead by
example in demonstrating the
importance of the program
within the flexographic technical
community. Further supporting
the goals of this vital certifica-
tion curriculum, he has actively
communicated the value and
importance of training and
education to printers in collabo-
ration with his company ’s OEM
partners. During 2013, Paul in-
vited members of the TEST staff
to participate in a very active road show circuit, which helped
FTA to spread the word about FIRST Certification to hundreds
of people outside of its traditional contact network.
Broadening his involvement beyond industry education-
al initiatives, he is a strong proponent of developing the
industry ’s “next generation” of flexographers at the high
school and college levels as well. As a judge for the Phoenix
Challenge High School Program, Paul was able to utilize his
professional experiences throughout his career in interacting
with the student contestants as they executed all of the formal
elements within the competition, while also lending his affable
words of encouragement on the virtues of pursuing a career
in this marketplace during the downtime.
Further offering his experience and expertise, serving
on the committee for the FTA Excellence in Flexography
Awards Competition is yet another example of Paul’s
interest in recognizing and encouraging print quality and
industry advancement. Beyond the industry ’s technical
growth, he has also been an active participant in helping to
expand FTA’s ranks through his service on its Membership
Committee. Paul’s drive and leadership make FTA a more
relevant organization!
Congratulations to this year’s two President’s Award honor-
ees. Here’s hoping we’re writing about you next year!
Frimming
Teachout
14 FLEXO | MAY 2014